Hydraulic rotary drill



Sept 9, 1952 J. A. BRADLEY 2,610,031

` HYDRAULIC ROTARY DRILL Filed Jan. 12, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /22 INH.

L 1 34 52 :i t 46 50 26 Jahn A. Brad/ey JNVENTOR.

Sept. 9, 1952 J. A. BRADLEY HYDRAULIC ROTARY DRILL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1948 8 1 2 e 0 f m wm V w, .n .B m H. 4 I 7 4 A ma 4 n wn 7 J W A 4 A ,/v

2 .wl 7 M 6. 7 ,n V o Il wR/v m Sept. 9, 1952 Filed Jan.` 12, 194e J. A. BRADLEY 2,610,031

HYDRAULIC ROTARY DRILL y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY d/amy WM5@ Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE. j,

`2,610,031 y HvnRAULIo ROTARY Daim. reim A, Bradley, santa Ana, Calif, Application January 12, 1944-8, Serial N 0. 1,730

(c1. ass-s1) 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates generally to drills, and more particularly to a combination hydraulic and rotary drill.

A primary object of this invention is toI provide a drill which is particularly well suited for drilling through alluvial soil, a specially designed drill head being used in combination with means to produce a cutting jet of water operating in iront vof the rotary drill head, so that very rapid drilling may be accomplished.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined hydraulic `and rotary drill which is very easily portable, being suitable for mounting on a relatively light vehicle such as a power wagon of conventional design.

This invention comprehends provision of a drill which may be used to sink drill rod and either to withdraw the drill rod at the completion of the operation or to leave the drill rod to comprise a well. Being rapid in action and easily :portable the drill is particularly well adapted for use in the process of forcing fluids such as asphaltic emulsion and sodium silicate into understrata to seal this understrata into a curtain wall or submerged dam, or in improving quicksand and other soft foundations. The instant invention may be used to pump such material into the soil at a predetermined depth and at a large number of locations, Iall at a minimum cost, the drill rod being withdrawn after the drilling and pumping operations.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drill in which the drill rod when not withdrawn will become the well when the drill rod is cut ofi just above the surface of the ground after a suilicient number of lengths of drill rod have been used to reach the desired depth, and in this connection it should be noted that the drill head is screwed to the lower end of the iirst drill rod, while a specially designed plug is used to close the lower end of the drill rod and `drill head excepting a jet opening wherethrough a cutting jet of pressurized water is forced during the operation of the drill rod, and it should also be noted that the invention includes means for removing this plug from the lower end of the drill rod as a sub-surface opn eration.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drill according to a form required to carry out the preceding objects, While entailing only a very moderate cost of manufacture, as regards the specially designed drill head and plug, so that these members may be abandoned in the wellpoint without greatly increasing the cost of the operation.

. An object ancillary to thepreceding objects 1s to provide means of this character which is particularly well adapted for use in proving and testing an area, as by sinkinga comparatively large number of wellpoints inorder that per- Ineability and pressure tests may be made.

Other objects of this invention include provision of meansr in which a very simple yet completely satisfactory indication of the mate-l v rial through which the' drill head is passing is given to the operator, the` type of material being indicated by the action of the handwheels used to lower the drill rod, that is, the operator can distinguish between sand,` clay, gravel and harder ,l

materials by reference to a pressure gauge'in the water line and the feel of the handwheels,'

since this relatively light drilling rig islparticularly responsive to changes` in types of niaterial drilled.

And a last object to be specificaiiy mentionedf is to provide a drill which is relatively inexpensive and completely practicable to manufacture,

which is very economical in its use of Water, which is extremely simple and convenient to mount upon a truck or other automotive ve'- hicle, and which will give generally eilicient and durable service.

With these objects definitely in view, this invention resides in certain novel features of cone struction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions which will be hereinafter particularly pointed out in the appended claim, and illusdescribed in the specification,

trated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part ofv this application,'and4 in which:

Figure l is a side elevational" view of this in@v vention operatively applied on the rear end of a light weight automotive vehicle;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the same structure, the View being taken as from 'they zontal sectional View, taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-5 in Figure 4 and showinga piortion of the ring gear along with the means used to secure this .ring gear to the drill rod quill for rotation thereof while allowing the vertical movement of the quill;

Figure 7 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 1-1 in Figure 4, the view being included in the drawings primarily to illustrate 5 the vise jaws used in the means employed for clamping drill rod to the quill;

Figure 8 is an enlarged end elevational view, or this figure may be eonsidereda'A lower plan' view, of the .drill headwith the speciallyrlde-.lO signed plug operatively associated therewith;

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the same" structure, taken, on the line 9-9 in Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a perspective View of thefspeciallyyldesigned plug removed 'from what is herein referred to as the drill head, the=termdrillfhead4J being retained for description of that part of I the complete drill head which is screwed to the end of the drill rod. 20

Similar charactersof reference' designate similar or identical; elements. andl portions `throughout'thespecication andthroughout the'v several views 'of the "drawings:

Referring now to the :drawings in'detailgit 25 will be noted '.that.l this invention is. designedior use With`"anenviromnentincluding a truck or other automotive vehicleof suitabledesign hav inga' bed frame' I0 and'a complement of other. partsincludin'g"groundecontacting wheels |.2, so '30 that the'drill 'hereinafterdescribed may .be vmade readilyportable by securement to said bed frame I0. It' is preferredthat theframework of this.. improved/drill* shally be constructed with 'a view to lirrlitinglthe'numbenof. portions thereofY necessarilysecurableto thez'truck. frame, so that the. drillmay `be l'mounted upon and removed from. the automotive vehicle without unnecessary. damage thereto. With this in View, theirame- Work of this'drillii's comprised chieflyof up- 40 right`membes |4,"which'are spaced 'apart and; welded .to .'a lower` plate member '16, anupper plate member |8,. lower inclined brace members. 2U, `and. upper linclined brace members 22," these frame elements being preferably of ananglejiron or channel and the'brace members being bolted to any suitable portions of the automotive vehicle such as the bed frame Ijln this connection,

it mayl benoted that the 'said automotive vehicle Willibeequipp'edrwith! a suitable tank 24 land; 1H powe'rntak'eoi meanslfincluding. the shaft. l4|) extendingto .the-rear .of 'the vehicle. In "the inter-estoi safety a remote control for. thepower r take-.off providedlincluding the hand lever'26 at therear of Vthe vehicle 'and the extension .55 control. rod 2.1 .The .lever 26 Mis illustrated as' pivoted onone of thelower inclined brace members 20 and thecontrolrodfill .extendsforwardly for. connection to a clutchlpedal at the'side of the truckslgear box,.not illustrated in thedraw mgsm..

Power transmission means may. be of anysuit-`4 able'character. andis represented in thedraw.- ingsasfincludingfa gear wheel-28 .driving the pump ||6 and driven lay-another fgear wheel. 36 v6 on'fa shaftt32 carryingra. double pulleyA .34 `connected fb'y1belts3`6 to 'Ja pulley38j'ff The pulley' 38 is mounted upon the shaft l0 which drives another -`pulleys-42 loon-nectedbybelts 44 iwitha 70 pulley "'46 i'carriedon'v the1 drive vshaft 48 I-forthe pinion 50, the necessary complement of bearing v members' for the'said shaftsv being provided in any suitablemannerg it being4 thought suicient to notethat the'ldrive' shaft 48 must'beparticu-v 4 larly well journalled in thrust bearing means indicated at 52.

Another thrust bearing assembly 54 is supported on the lower plate member I6 to provide support for the lower end of the quill 56, and another bearing 58 is mounted upon the upper plate member I8 for support of the upper portion of the said quill, it being noted that the thrust bearingA 54 vactually supports the ring gear 60 rather than'the quill 56 directly and. that this quill is provided with a pair of diametrically oppositely disposed longitudinal keyways 62 within which slide keys 64 in the hub portion of lthelring gear 66. Means must be provided forfraising and lowering the quill 56, and when uprights I4 of channel form are employed, this means'vmay conveniently include vertical racks 66 in these channel uprights, pinions 68 in engagement with these racks 66 and rigidly secured on a jack shaft 10, and'a collar or thimble 'l2 having angannular groove to Vreceive anV lintermediate'portion of this jackshaft, this vthimble 'i2 being rigidly secured to the quill-56 "and,"

nallyfapairof handwheelslll rigidly mounted on the-jack'shaft.

It willbe understood that lengths 4of pipejrod, usually"- termed drill` 4rod,will be used'to drill thewell"and-^that 5a plurality of such'rods-ter' minally joined-together, all according 'to a con` ventionalA practica-will comprise the-Well in instances Whennotto be' withdrawn, and'means is therefore requiredrfor'releasably securing -the drillI rod-- to saidv quill: It is proposedbyfthisA invention rto provide ahood 16 's'crewed'by screws'` Il over each end of thequill-,as best illustrated in 'Figures 4 and 'lf-Theilowermost'or first of thev drillrods is represented Vat 'i8 and the hoods 16 arev axially apertured to receive the drill rod.

Interiorly thereof a-ndon/ one lside'of each hood a multiple-driving-dog Qfgpipevise character 80 is welded, the other side of the hood lbeing bored and"threadedto receive a setfstud 82 which-may be provided with wings 84 whereby thestud'may be manuallyf-set to force thedrill rod 18 againstV 'the' 'dogr If preferred, each ofthe hoods 16 may-'be provided with va substantially semi-'circular liner opposite to the `dog 80.

A specialfeatureof `this linvention is the-drill' head,'generallyindicated -byfthe numeral- 88 and the plug generally indicated at 96.' vThese `elements are best'illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10.

If reference is now had to these figures, it will be seen Ythat thedrill head Aincludes a hollowcylindrical member-92 which may be an vordinary pipe coupling and` a plurality, preferably three,

smallfblades 94 which-arewelded externally and radially on the cylindricalmember 92, 'the blades being similarly tilted-or inclined, as bestillustrated in Figure 8. The blades'may have curved outeredges-Qtl "and it will 'be noted that'thesev blades do not extend across either end of the tubular cylindricalmember 92, thus allowing the lower'end -of the drillrod 18 *to be threadedly connected yto the drill head as indicated in Fig- 5 ure 9. -'Theblades eXtend'- below the lower end of thememberBZ when 'the device is in use,as

indicatedat 66 to ycomprise driving dogsengaging nat sides |66 or" the head portion |02 of the plug '90E-If reference be had to Figure 10, vit will be 'seen'that this plug 96 Aincludes a shank portion |04 'which will be integral with the -head |62 and-thatthe shank |64 is adapted to t tightly Within the cylindrical member 92 onthe lower end'of the `drill rod 18 with the'inner-sur-y face of the enlarged head |02 preferablyabuttingV Y both the said lower end of the drill rod 18 and the lower end of the tubular member 92. If desired, the tubular member 92 may be xed in any suitable manner to the lower end of the drill rod 10 to assure that this relationship may be accomplished, the important feature being, however, that the fiat faces |00 shall be engaged by the driving dog portions 98 of the blades 04. A cutting fin |06 of triangular form is secured to the lower face of the head |02, being preferably mortised therein and welded in position. The shank portion |84 is axially bored, as at |08 and a communicating inclined or non-axially disposed channel ||0 extends through the head |02, the extreme outer end of this channel being preferably bevelled as indicated at ||2.

It is preferred that the blades and fln |06 be constructed from mild steel and that these parts, after being fabricated and Welded in position, should be faced with relatively hard tool facing material, and it may not be inappropriate in this specification to note that a convenient source of material for the plug 90 may be found in conventional structural steel rivets, the three flat faces |00 being ground on the head of the rivet, leaving one curved edge |4 intact.

In order to force water under pressure through the rod at the same time as it is rotating, a pump H6 of any suitable character is connected as described with the power means 40 for operation,

with the tank 24 as a source of water supply, by means of a pipe H8 controlled by a valve |20, and with the drill rod 'I0 by means of a pipe |22 and a flexible hose |24. A complement of structure usually associated with hydraulic drills and including a control valve |26 and a pressure gauge |28 will be provided, the detail of construction of this portion of the apparatus being immaterial in this application. `Since the quill 56 and the drill rod 'I8 must move vertically during the operation of the machine, a swivel connection, generally indicated by the numeral |30 is used to connect the upper end of the flexible hose |24 to the upper end of the drill rod 18, and of course, to the upper ends of other drill rods added as the depth of the well is increased.

Clt

A platform |32 will preferably be provided for a tower man to stand upon while yconnecting new drill rods, this platform being represented in Figure 1 as supported on braces 22 and |34.

The method of operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, and taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects sought to be achieved by this invention. In recapitulation, it may be added that the drill head 88 with its blades 94 and the coacting fin |08 on the plug 90, operate as a mechanical drill means simultaneously with the action of a cutting jet of water ejected from the vchannel H0 6 in the plug 90. The combination of a hydraulic and mechanical cutting means is reflected in a very high speed drilling operation. It should be understood that when the wellpoint has reached a predetermined depth, the drill rods are retracted a distance inthe order of two feet and the plug 90 is removed, either by increasing the water pressure in the drill rod well beyond Vnormal operating pressure or by dropping a cord suspended weight into the drill rod, thus driving the plug out of the drill head. 'I'he drill head and plug are not salvaged. The lower end of the wellpoint is thereby properly conditioned for permeability and water pressure tests, as well as for other purposes.

Obviously many minor variations may be made the exact construction and the proportionment of the various elements of this invention all within the spirit and scope thereof and the drawings especially should be considered as illustrative rather than limiting. Accordingly this invention should be limited only as determined by a proper interpretation of the subjoined claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a combination hydraulic jet and rotary drill, a hollow drill head rigidly securedl to a drill rod, cutting blades on said head, and a plug removablysecured in said head, said plug having a non-axially disposed channel extendingn therethrough and communicating with the interior of said drill rod, said blades being inclined to the axis of the drill head, and said plug having a portion thereof with flat faces engageable by said blades so that said plug is rotated, and a cutting iin on the lower end of said plug.

` JOHN A. BRADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 92,014 Case June 29, 1869 176,528 Henry Apr. 25, 1876 557,686 Meissner Apr. 7, 1896 1,407,927 Caveney Feb. 28, 1922 1,733,241 Scott Oct. 29, 1929 1,811,939 Johansen June 30, 1931 1,848,192 Newman Mar. 8, 1932 1,940,800 Johansen Dec. 26, 1933 2,131,056 Lind Sept. 27, 1938 2,203,216 Hokanson June 4, 1940 2,215,928 Hornbrook Sept. 24,. 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS lliunber Country Date 296,352 Great Britain Aug. 28,. 1928 

